Sunrise On The Cobbler 20th January 2013

Due to the birth of my daughter in October, I haven't been out any further than the Kilpatrick hills since a trip to the Ring of Steall in August. On Sunday the recent weather proved far too enticing and brought me out of hibernation for a quick winter walk. I managed to set off in the car with the dog before breakfast and arrived at the Succoth carpark just before 7am. We started off up the zig zag track in darkness. As we emerged from the trees and the Cobbler came into view, we were met by a herd of deer near the dam who disappeared across the hillside before I could even get my camera out.

Not long after the Narnain boulders I stopped to put my crampons on. In retrospect I could probably have managed without them for much further but decided to err on the side of caution as I was on my own. I also decided to opt for the easy route up from the Bealach a Mhaim as I didn't fancy my chances if I did slip and had to rely on the dog to find help.

The sun had risen by the time we climbed the stone steps but the summits were shrouded in mist when we reached the top. I had to be home for lunchtime to let my wife use the car so headed straight back down. As the skies began to clear I regretted not being able to spend the day there to take in Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain too.

I'd had the entire route to myself all morning until I approached the Narnain boulders and began to meet the many lucky climbers and walkers heading up for the day. It looked as if they should have got some great conditions. I only hope these conditions continue until the next time I manage to make it back for more!

Ben Vane and Ben Vorlich via Loch Sloy Dam 16th April 2012

I'd been meaning to climb Ben Vane and Ben Vorlich for quite a while. After reading the walk reports on Walk Highlands covering the two mountains in one day I decided I wanted to do them together. I wasn't so keen on doubling back on myself though and didn't fancy walking on the tarmac any more than absolutely necessary so I dug out my copy of the Harvey's Superwalker map of the Arrochar Alps and picked out a route directly down the side of Ben Vane towards the west side of Loch Sloy Dam. I'd been up camping on that side of the dam a few weeks ago testing some new camping gear and had spent quite a while trying to work out a route directly up Ben Vorlich from the east side of the dam. I knew that section was going to be fairly steep but my last proper walk was Ben More from Crianlarich in winter conditions so I reckoned I could manage it. Kev was called, a day was agreed and our bags were packed...
We set off from the Inveruglas car park at half past eight on Sunday morning and quite quickly made our way up the tarmac path past Coiregrogain farm and across the bridge on the left towards the forestry. This was a fairly early start by our standards and we were feeling quite smug at the possibility of maybe being the first walkers out on the hill for the day. As we left the forestry track and began our ascent onto the ridge of Ben Vane our pace began to drop a bit and it wasn't long before we were overtaken by an older but much fitter man than ourselves!

After reading the various reports on Ben Vane I hadn't completely been looking forward to it having heard it described often as a very punishing ascent. I have a feeling we were just very lucky to have gotten perfect conditions on our way up Ben Vane; beautiful sunshine with a perfectly cool breeze the whole way up. All in, we were very pleasantly surprised by just how attractive a mountain it is. The light section of scrambling required near the summit was fun and was a good warm up for what lay ahead later that day.

The view South past A'Chrois on the right and Ben Lomond on the left from the summit of Ben Vane.

Lochs Lomond, Ard and Katrine from the summit of Ben Vane.

Just a moment behind us at the summit came the second other walker of the day who stopped for a moment to chat before making his way off towards the Cobbler via Beinn Ìme. After a quick bite to eat and a drink we were off on our way down to the dam, first heading towards the ridge leading to Beinn Dubh before quickly veering right between the cliffs through some virgin snow and then picking our way down through the boulders and bogs until we reached Loch Sloy.

Looking back on our route down the side of Ben Vane from half way up Ben Vorlich.

After crossing the dam and looking up at the "path" ahead, we discussed the possibility of abandoning our chosen route and walking back down the road to the cairn marking the established route up Ben Vorlich. After a minute or so of deliberation we agreed to man up and follow through on our original plan! I wish I’d stopped to take more pictures of this part of the walk as, despite the hydroelectric influence on this mountain, once we climbed past the dam it retained every bit of the rugged wilderness it once was. There are so many little nooks, caves and crevasses between the many boulders and cliffs. My imagination ran wild imagining who and what had sought shelter over the years in all these various hiding places. The rocky nature of the Arrochar Alps always gets me thinking about the moment each particular boulder came to rest in the position I found them, how colossal the noise must once have been in this place that now offers such an abundance of blissful silence.

A precariously stacked pile of boulders on the side of Ben Vorlich.

By about half way up Ben Vorlich the ascent had turned into a constant scramble, often on all fours or stopping to discuss where to take the next foothold. As the route was so steep the only real way of knowing how far we had to go was by looking back towards Ben Vane and gauging how close we were in line with its summit, then adding on the difference to the top of Ben Vorlich!

Nearly there!

Just one more water break...

Despite the occasional drops of snow coming and going the sun was out and the clouds were far away when we reached the top of Ben Vorlich and our efforts were rewarded with a perfect view west down the Firth of Clyde to Ailsa Craig.

Ailsa Craig

The view north from the summit of Ben Vorlich.

After a quick roll and cheese and a slice of chocolate cake it was time to make our way down the more established route towards the tarmac path below. Just as we left the summit we bumped into the third and final person we'd met all day. After a short chat about how perfect the visibility had been we bid him farewell and were on our way. We made it back to the car for half past five. A short time later we were enjoying a well-deserved pint at the Inn at Inverbeg before Kev dropped me off at home for some Deep Heat and a good sleep!

The "Tourist Route" home!

Ben (No) More! 29th January 2012

Today was tough, very tough. I headed up Ben More in Crianlarich full of confidence and got a shock at how unfit I still am. I was warned at how relentless an ascent it would be, especially in the snow. The way I saw it, I've done steep and relentless on Carn Mor Dearg in the searing heat, I've also done a decent winter ascent of Ben Lomond's Ptarmigan Ridge. So I should be alright with a relentlessly steep winter ascent, right? Wrong! I suffered big time. I don't want to be one of those guys who only want to bag a Munro to tick it off the list and then never return but I swear half way up I was motivating myself to the top with the promise that I'd never bring myself up that hill again! It's a few hours later and I'm feeling a bit better about things. I had a great day, we almost had the entire hill to ourselves and the views were breathtaking when visibility was good. When it wasn't I enjoyed the chance to brush up on my winter skills a bit more. I'd hoped to include Stob Binnein but time wasn't on my side by the time I'd dragged myself to the summit of Ben More. I'll definitely be back to finish what I started though, and I'm going to have to do Ben More at least once more as well just out of principle!

The snow makes weans of us all... 27th January 2012

 Took the dog up to Maryhill for a haircut yesterday, had a couple of hours to kill before he was ready to be picked up again so I ended up at the supermarket picking up some essentials. In the time it took for me to run round the aisles with my trolley the car got properly covered in snow. I now had three quarters of an hour to get from Anniesland to Duntocher to drop of the perishables before running back up to Maryhill before the dog groomer closed up for the day. All that in an ageing rear wheel drive car on chronically untreated roads covered in a thick helping of snow and secret potholes... I even had to turn the radio off to concentrate!

 On the plus side I had today completely free so got kitted up this morning and headed straight up into the Kilpatricks to enjoy the fun side of the snow while it lasts. There's something very reassuring about catching yourself fannying about in the snow like a big kid. Right now I should be concerned about the insurance claim for repairs to the roof or rebuilding the fence out the back after the storm. Instead I find myself chasing the dog about the hills throwing snowballs at him and slipping on my arse in a fit of giggles. The snow makes weans of us all!

Great Food, Fine Malts and a Couple of Hills 22nd January 2012

My weekend got to a start when Rhonda and I headed out on Friday for an overnight stay at The Atholl Palace Hotel in Pitlochry. After checking in we dumped the bags and the car at the hotel and headed into Pitlochry for a wander, eventually ending up at McKay's Hotel on Atholl Road for a good few pints of Guinness and a very generous plate of cheese and oatcakes! I'm not ashamed to say that after that I headed back to the hotel for a wee snooze before heading downstairs to the restaurant. Dinner was great, I ended up going for Game terrine, Venison pie and yet more cheese then washed it all down with a nice bottle of red wine. 

After breakfast the following morning we checked out and headed up to Edradour Distillery, the smallest in Scotland and one which stays true to the original production methods used when the distillery was founded in 1825. Thanks to the time of year and our early start we were treated to a tour of the distillery on our own including a walk round the warehouse where they hold casks from as far back as the early 60's. I couldn't help myself and ended up buying a bottle of 12 year old Edradour Caledonia which bears the name of singer-songwriter Dougie Maclean and was also launched by First Minister Alex Salmond.

On the way back along the A9 we stopped off in Crieff to pick up some fantastic scallops from Fish in Crieff which we had that night on top of some equally tasty sirloin steaks and washed down with a healthy glass of Edradour and yet more Guinness. By Sunday morning I was feeling seriously relaxed, seriously revitalised but seriously guilty about the excessive eating and drinking of the previous two days. Time to head for the hills to burn off the calories and sweat out the booze.

A late start on Sunday morning put any talk of Munro's to bed and by the time I picked up Kev we'd decided to go local and used the extra time to stop off for breakfast and check if there was anything good in the Go Outdoors sale. Turns out there wasn't, we were half an hour behind and all we came away with was a new pair of socks for Kev!

Next stop, the wee grass verge at the side of the road across from Glengoyne distillery. I managed to bypass the distillery this time and we headed up the path towards Dumgoyne hill. It's a hill i've seen from afar while walking in the Kilpatricks and from the roads below it but i've never gotten round to it. Considering the Campsies are within 20 minutes drive of my front door i'm surprised i've never given them time before. We decided to tackle Dumgoyne head on rather than take the paths round either side and were rewarded with a couple of nice wee scrambly sections and a quick ascent to the top. At the top of Dumgoyne we decided to head on to Earl's seat but our lack of knowledge on the area coupled with leaving the map in the bag and the call of the Carbeth Inn meant we finished up at the summit of Garloch hill before heading back to the car, falsely believing that we had bagged a Marilyn peak... Never mind, turns out decent navigation is useful on smaller hills and on clear days too!

A Good Old Fashioned Book 14th January 2012

I don't know how i'd manage to look after myself these days if it wasn't for the internet. When the oven stopped working, I reached for the laptop, diagnosed the problem, ordered the part, watched the installation tutorial video and then fixed the oven. Same thing when there was a problem with the lawnmower, the car, even the playstation. And the same goes for my trips into the outdoors. Fancy a walk? First port of call is Walk Highlands. The internet has provided me with route descriptions, basic maps and so much more. If I have a moment to myself in the house i'm online looking at anything remotely related to the wilderness and everything that comes with it.

That's the reason that i've kept putting myself off buying the Scottish Mountaineering Club Hillwalker's Guide to The Munros. All the information you could ever need on any one of the 283 mountains in question is online. Network coverage permitting, you can even use your mobile to read about a mountain while you're sitting on it's summit. And it's all free! So why would you ever want to spend your hard earned money on a cumbersome old book? Well i'm glad I finally got round to it. Since I made the impulse purchase on Amazon a couple of days ago i've been looking forward to the postman coming with the familiar brown cardboard container. The ones they send me these days only ever contain incredibly dry textbooks on economics and business theory so it's a breath of fresh air to open one up and find something that genuinely excites me.

This book was first published in 1985 and the copy I have is the third revision of the third edition. It's certainly not a new release. Most of you will already have read your copy cover to cover ten times and climbed all the hills as well. Old as it may be I love it. It's beautifully put together, loads of great advice, the images are breath taking. Most of all you can tell the writers love the hills just as much as we do.

I didn't just buy one copy, I bought two. The other one was given to a friend so I can call him and tell him to check out this page or that page, making it easier than ever to decide on our next trip. It's not the same emailing a link. I'm sure it's easier to email, it's just not as nice.

If you have it already i'm preaching to the converted, if you don't then Amazon are doing it at a great price right now. Here's the link a second time in case you missed it the first time round...

Auchineden Hill and the Whangie 12th January 2012

My day off started early so after breakfast I threw my rucksack and boots in the back of the car and drove down to my Dad's house to check out the new guitar he'd treated himself to. By the time i'd had a shot of the guitar and we'd finished messing about organising our fly collections in anticipation of the coming Brown Trout season it was nearly two o'clock. A big hill was clearly out of the question. Once I was back on the road I couldn't think of where to go but before I knew where I was going I was on the Stockiemuir road and fast approaching the Queen's view carpark. The majority of the ascent is achieved in the first couple of minutes after leaving the carpark so I was soon looking down on Stockiemuir and across to Glengoyne distillery and Dumgoyne hill above it.

Alfie (the wee ginger dog) and I took a short stop at the summit of Auchineden hill to take in a drink and the view before getting back on our way down to the Whangie. As always when I don't have human company to worry about, I got a bit carried away taking enjoying the view so Alfie had to encourage me to get moving with a couple of well placed whimpers!

I first took this walk as a very wee boy with my Grandpa who gave me my love of hills and mud in the first place.I love the fact that no matter how many times i've been back there and every one of the other places I walked when I was wee, it never ever gets boring. No matter how familar the path becomes there's always a wee surprise just around the corner.

Since my Grandpa died a few years ago, i've revisited all the short walks we went on and although i'm not religiously or supernaturally minded in the slightest, I always feel a very warm and welcome presence walking through the Whangie itself, especially in the clearing in the rock which looks out over Loch Lomond where I vividly remember sitting with him getting stuck into the pieces and soup my Gran had sent us out with!

As I stopped at the other end of the Whangie to take a few parting shots I suddenly realised the lovely crisp Winter afternoon was about to turn into a rather wet and windy one if the wet look over Loch Lomond was anything to go by. Time to put the camera away and get back to the car...